The present invention relates to the sampling and testing for asbestos and particularly to the sampling of friable asbestos in sheet vinyl flooring and floor tile. Friable asbestos has sometimes been used in the adhesives for attaching sheet vinyl flooring in floor tile and in the underside of the sheet vinyl flooring in older buildings. The adhesive and underside of the sheet vinyl flooring is isolated from the air in the building by the sheet vinyl covering. However, if the vinyl flooring has to be removed for any reason, such as in a damaged building, which involves an insurance claim or when a building is being razed, it is important to determine whether the sheet vinyl flooring contains any asbestos in the backing since the removal of the flooring will then allow the friable asbestos to contaminate the air. It thus becomes important to test sheet vinyl flooring put in older buildings which have been damaged or which needs to be removed or replaced to determine the cost for insurance claims or before the replacement of sheet vinyl flooring or the razing of a building.
The present invention deals with the sampling of an existing sheet vinyl flooring and tile within older buildings and the testing of the samples for asbestos. The sampling can be performed in accordance with the present method by a lay person without special training (such as an insurance adjuster, contractor, or homeowner) without a certified environment consultant or lab technician having to go to the building to take the samples. Once the sampling has been completed, the sample can be returned to a certified lab where it can be tested for asbestos so that the lab can give a report on the asbestos content.
A sheet vinyl flooring asbestos sampling method includes taking a sample of sheet vinyl flooring without dispensing airborne asbestos fibers. The process includes selecting and cleaning a floor sampling site for attaching a floor sampling template to guide the cutting of the flooring and to limit the liberation of asbestos fibers to the ambient air. A sampling container has an opening thereinto with a flat cutting surface adjacent the opening and a cap to fit over the opening so that the sample may be removed by pushing the cutting edge into the vinyl flooring to cut loose a sample which is pushed into the opening of the container. A cap is then placed over the opening of the container and the sampling container and sample is placed within a storage bag for delivery to a testing lab. The process also includes covering the sampling site with a seal having identification material thereon and also the placing of identification information in the storage bag. A wetting agent is used over the cut area of the floor sampling sight and template and on the cutting blade of the sampling tool.